VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) has accepted resignations of the Vietnam Cinema Agency’s chief, Lai Van Sinh and vice chief, Le Ngoc Minh, for their responsibility in the $2 million scandal.

Artists angry over Cinema Agency’s loss of $2mil

After a week working with the Vietnam Cinema Agency on the VND42 billion ($2 million) case, the MoCST on September 19, came to a conclusion about the responsibility of Sinh and Minh in the case. The Ministry accepted their resignation.

Deputy Minister Huynh Vinh Ai, on September 20 made public the decision to appoint Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, vice head of the Ministry’s International Cooperation Department, as vice chief of the Cinema Agency. Sinh and Minh will hand over their job in 15 days.

According to the MoCST, accountant Pham Thanh Hai embezzled VND36.8 billion, not VND42 billion. Sinh and Minh’s legal responsibility will be defined by the police.

Sinh and Minh on September 11 submitted their resignations to the MoCST, following strong protests from the movie industry about the alleged embezzlement of $2 million from the department’s fund and the failure to investigate it for long.

Sinh, Minh and the rest of the managing board had claimed to be ignorant that chief accountant, Pham Thanh Hai, had fled with VND42 billion (US$ 2 million) in 2009 and did not institute a probe until recently.

It triggered widespread anger in the movie community, with filmmakers, writers, and actors dashing off a letter to higher authorities last month, asking for a probe and for Sinh to accept his responsibility.

There were indications of corruption and a cover-up by the leaders, they wrote in the letter sent to the President, Prime Minister, head of the Central Propaganda Department, and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, since the embezzlement had gone on for three years but they claimed to know nothing about it. Besides, the department’s main bank account was in Sinh’s name, they pointed out.

The Ministry of Public Security is working with Interpol to issue an international search warrant for Pham Thanh Hai, 34. Hai was just a staff member of the department’s finance and accounting office, but authorized to withdraw money from banks when the chief accountant was absent.

Hai was found having faked payment orders and signatures to take out the money from the department’s bank accounts between 2009 and May 2011. He is suspected to have fled overseas.

Hanh Phuong